#Daniel Morgenstern

[danielmorgenstern]

RIP-Chaim Topol, 1935-2023, portrait by Daniel Morgenstern, 9.3.23

https://www.danielmorgenstern.com

[barbarabymarta]

Barbara Kwiatkowska-Lass, Daniel Olbrychski & Janusz Morgenstern on the set of "Jowita" dir. by Janusz Morgenstern

[meeghanreads]

June 2024 TBR

Hello friends!! Welcome to the June 2024 TBR. A post where I will attempt to intuit what I feel like reading for the month of June. Or rather, ChatGPT will, because I decided to try something new and different. So, I’ve been playing with ChatGPT to do other things in my life, and today I was like “why don’t I ask it to recommend me 10 books to read? what could possibly go wrong?” FYI, I am mildly…

[christophernolan]

Fantasy books by female authors that deserve more praise and recognition and are so SO MUCH better than whatever SJM writes.

The Sun Sword series | Michelle West

A hundred thousand kingdoms | NK Jemisin

The killing Moon | NK Jemisin

An ember in the Ashes | Sabaa Tahir

Shatter Me | Taherah Mafi

Furyborn | Claire Legrand

The bone season | Samantha Shannon

Darker shade of Magic | VE Schwab

The invisible life of Addie LaRue | VE Schwab

Realm of the Elderlings | Robin Hobbs

Sands of Arawiya | Hafsah Faizal

The Daevabad Trilogy | SA Chakraborty

Year of the Reaper | Makiia Lucier

The bear and the Nightingale | Katherine Arden

The Night Circus | Erin Morgenstern

Descendent of the Crane | Joan He

The bridge Kingdom | Danielle Jensen

Dark Shores | Danielle Jensen

Falling Kingdoms | Morgan Rhodes

Range of Ghosts | Elizabeth Bear

Children of blood and Bone | Tomi Adeyemi

The Wrath and the Dawn | Renee Ahdieh

Lumatere Chronicles | Melina Marchetta

The Alchemists of Loom | Elise Kova

[likeclarabow]

2024 Books Read

In a Holidaze - Christina Lauren (Jan 1)

The Long Games - Elena Armas (Jan 2)

The Seven Year Slip - Ashley Poston (Jan 3)

Something More - Jackie Kalilieh (Jan 3-Jan 4)

A Study in Drowning - Ava Reid (Jan 8-Jan 13)

Cockroach - Rawi Hage (Jan 17-Jan 24)

Confessions of an English Opium Eater - Thomas De Quincey (Jan 18-Jan 24)

The Night Circus (reread) - Erin Morgenstern (Jan 24-Jan 29)

Manfred - Lord Byron (Jan 29-Jan 31)

White Nights - Fyodor Dostoevsky (Jan 26-Feb 1)

Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie (Feb 1-Feb 5)

Fronteras Americanas: American Borders - Guillermo Verdecchia (Feb 8)

Total Chaos - Jean Claude Izzo (Feb 7-Feb 16)

I Was Their American Dream - Malaka Gharib (Feb 17-Feb 21)

Once in a Promised Land - Laila Halaby (Feb 26-Mar 1)

Babi Yar - Anatoly Kuznetsov (Feb 17-Mar 2)

Northanger Abbey (reread) - Jane Austen (Feb 27-Mar 3)

Delicious Monsters - Liselle Sambury (Mar 10-Mar 11)

The Flatshare - Beth O'Leary (Mar 12-Mar 13)

Divine Rivals - Rebecca Ross (Mar 13-Mar 14)

The Breakup Tour - Emily Wibberly + Austin Siegemund-Broka (Mar 14)

Foul Heart Huntsman - Chloe Gong (Mar 15-Mar 16)

I Hope This Doesn't Find You - Ann Liang (Mar 16-Mar 17)

Less - Andrew Sean Greer (Mar 17-Mar 18)

Night of Power - Anar Ali (Mar 20)

Winter in Sokcho - Elisa Shua Dusapin (Mar 20-Mar 22)

The Last Man - Mary Shelley (Mar 19-Mar 30)

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels - Janice Hallett (Mar 30-Mar 31)

Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin - Timothy Snyder (Jan 10-Apr 4)

The Reappearance of Rachel Price - Holly Jackson (May 5-May 8)

Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah (May 14-May 16)

Conversations With Friends - Sally Rooney (May 17-May 28)

Biography of X - Catherine Lacey (May 30-June 9)

Her First Palestinian - Saeed Teebi (May 30-June 10)

Funny Story - Emily Henry (June 11-June 16)

November 1942 - Peter Englund (June 16-June 26)

Alone With You in the Ether - Olivie Blake (June 23-June 27)

A Man Called Ove - Fredrick Backman (June 27-June 29)

Giovanni's Room - James Baldwin (June 29-June 30)

The Girl in Question - Tess Sharpe (June 30-July 3)

The Girls I've Been (reread) - Tess Sharpe (July 4-July 5)

The Man in the High Castle - Phillip K Dick (July 6-July 12)

Ruthless Vows - Rebecca Ross (July 12-July 16)

Body Grammar - Jules Ohman (July 17-July 19)

Shanghailanders - Juli Min (July 19-July 23)

They're Going to Love You - Meg Howrey (July 24-July 26)

So Late in the Day - Claire Keegan (July 26)

That's Not My Name - Megan Lally (July 26)

The Blonde Identity - Ally Carter (July 27)

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands - Heather Fawcett (July 27-July 29)

The Sittaford Mystery - Agatha Christie (July 31-Aug 2)

Beautiful World Where Are You - Sally Rooney (Aug 3-Aug 8)

Mr Salary - Sally Rooney (Aug 9)

Penance - Eliza Clark (Aug 9-Aug 10)

Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata (Aug 11)

Educated - Tara Westover (Aug 12-Aug 14)

The Couple at No. 9 - Claire Douglas (Aug 15-Aug 20)

A Curse for True Love - Stephanie Garber (Aug 17-Aug 19)

London - Edward Rutherford (Aug 20-Aug 28)

The Girls - Emma Cline (Aug 28-Aug 29)

The List - Yomi Adegoke (Aug 30)

Florida - Lauren Groff (Aug 30-Aug 31)

Less is Lost - Andrew Sean Greer (Aug 31-Sept 1)

Love in the Time of Serial Killers - Alicia Thompson (Sept 1)

Zoya - Danielle Steele (Sept 1-Sept 3)

Where Are You, Echo Blue - Hayley Krischer (Sept 4-Sept 7)

Bellies - Nicola Dinan (Sept 8-Sept 15)

A Contract With God - Will Eisner (Sept 17)

The Rachel Incident - Caroline O'Donoghue (Sept 19-Sept 21)

Richard II - William Shakespeare (Sept 15-Sept 22)

Maus I - Art Spiegelman (Sept 19-Sept 24)

This Ravenous Fate - Hayley Dennings (Sept 22-Sept 25)

The Unwomanly Face of War - Svetlana Alexievich (Sept 15-Sept 25)

Foster - Claire Keegan (Sept 26)

Anne of Windy Poplars (reread) - L.M. Montgomery (Sept 21-Sept 30)

The Pairing - Casey McQuiston (Sept 26-Oct 1)

Dept of Speculation - Jenny Offill (Oct 2)

Watchman - Alan Moore (Sept 29-Oct 4)

The Getaway List - Emma Lord (Oct 3-Oct 5)

Death at Morning House - Maureen Johnson (Oct 6-Oct 8)

The God of the Woods - Liz Moore (Oct 9-Oct 13)

Boy Parts - Eliza Clark (Oct 13-Oct 14)

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Oct 19-Oct 22)

Bliss Montage - Ling Ma (Oct 23-Oct 26)

To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (Oct 18-Oct 27)

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi (Oct 24-Oct 28)

One for My Enemy - Olivie Blake (Oct 26-Oct 31)

Graveyard Shift - M.L. Rio (Nov 1-Nov 2)

Funny Boy - Shyam Selvadurai (Oct 26-Nov 4)

Rouge - Mona Awad (Nov 2-Nov 6)

Book Lovers (reread) - Emily Henry (Nov 9-Nov 10)

Macbeth (reread) - William Shakespeare (Nov 4-Nov 13)

Monty's Men - John Buckley (Nov 4-Nov 14)

The Starless Sea (reread) - Erin Morgenstern (Nov 12-Nov 18)

[themattress]

So, I think the Viz dub of Sailor Moon is unquestionably the definitive English dub, no question about it. It blows DiC and Cloverway out of the water, and while I miss some of DiC's musical scores and songs, it is still clearly superior. With that said, these are the voices from those old dubs that I feel are just as good - and rarely, even better - than Viz's ones.

Usagi - Tracey Moore (DiC). To this day, Tracey Moore might be the most believable voice Usagi has ever had. Kotono Mitsuishi and Stephanie Sheh may be more definitive, but both are clearly putting on a high-pitched voice, whereas Moore's high-pitched voice sounded natural, like a real teenage girl's. More importantly, she nailed Usagi's character. Beyond Terri Hawkes being completely failed by her incompetent fanboy of a voice director who lacked all objectivity when it came to her and Linda Ballantyne being miscast, neither of them got Usagi's character right, voicing her as if she's a regular teenage girl which Usagi is not: she's a 14 year old who starts out with the maturity of a 7 year old. Moore had that childish quality down perfectly, as well as the heroic quality as Sailor Moon. That she ended up voicing the character the least out of anyone due to DiC rushing production is absolutely criminal.

Ami - Karen Bernstein (DiC). C'mon, how can you not like that odd Trans-Atlantic accent she gives Ami? Or the way she says "Mercury Bubbles - BLAST!" It sounds so appealing.

Rei - Katie Griffin (DiC/Cloverway). Now I love Cristina Vee, and kudos to Emily Barlow for temporarily filling in for Katie and giving a damn fine impression. But something about Katie's voice for Rei just sounds, much like Tracey Moore as Usagi, natural. I tend not to hear someone putting on a voice performance with Katie; I just hear Rei / Sailor Mars herself.

Makoto - Susan Roman (DiC/Cloverway). She did a great job. Not much else to say.

Minako - Emily Barlow (Cloverway). I will say that Stephanie Morgenstern did a far better job in the Pioneer-issued DiC movie dubs than she did in the show proper, but I still felt she failed when it came to conveying Minako's comedic side. Emily Barlow, fresh off of filling in for Katie Griffin as Mars, did a great job with that part of Minako's character. She was hilarious.

Mamoru - Vincent Corazza (DiC/Cloverway). Rino Romano was good as Mamoru but not as Tuxedo Mask, while Toby Proctor sucked as both. While he's no Robbie Daymond, Vincent Corazza is still the first to actually do the voices for Mamoru and his alter-ego well.

Artemis - Ron Rubin (DiC/Cloverway). Ron Rubin took a long time to get this voice down, voicing him too deeply in his first two episodes and then too high and scratchy for most of the DiC dub afterwards. But by the movies and Cloverway, he'd settled into an appropriate sounding voice for the character, nailing both his even-tempered and his comedic moments.

Shingo - Julie Lemieux (DiC/Cloverway). Here it is: a rare case of an old dub voice being much better than the Viz dub counterpart. I have no idea why Nicolas Roye was cast by Viz, but it didn't work. Julie Lemieux's voice actually sounds like a young boy's and is fitting to hear coming out of Shingo's mouth, rather than endlessly distracting like hearing Roye's is.

Naru - Mary Long (DiC/Cloverway). "It's Mawwwwwly!" Look, take the memeable accent out of the equation and Mary Long still put on a sweet and earnest performance as Usagi's best friend. And while I normally prefer Danielle Judovits, Mary's acting in Nephrite's death scene absolutely puts her to shame. It truly sounds like a girl screaming and crying as her love dies.

Chibiusa - Stephanie Beard (Cloverway). It's Suga BayBee, do I need to explain more?

Queen Beryl - Naz Edwards (DiC). The only issue I have with Naz Edwards is that she often wasn't directed to keep her voice down when she should in a scene, but that's not her fault. That aside, she was incredible as Queen Beryl, giving a theatrical performance that is both amusingly camp when it needed to be and maliciously terrifying when it needed to be. I honestly think Viz lucked out, as Cindy Robinson is perhaps the only voice actress I know of who is capable of matching Naz vocally. It is very difficult for me to choose between them.

Jadeite - Tony Daniels (DiC). Kevin Lund could've been great as Nephrite but he sucked due to crappy direction, Kirsten Bishop was great as Zoisite but the gender was all wrong, and Denis Akayama was wildly inconsistent as Kunzite. Tony Daniels as Jadeite is the only one who got it down perfectly, with a suitably smug, sadistic, raspy voice that could also disguise itself whenever the character was disguising himself. I prefer Todd Haberkorn, especially since he can do equally well as Crystal's Jadeite, but Tony Daniels was still great.

Ail - Vincent Corazza (DiC). Look, Brian Beacock is more accurate to the Japanese voice and has a better script, but I just love Vincent Corazza's dorkier take. It's just so lovable!

En - Sabrina Grdevich (DiC). Look, Dorothy Fahn is more accurate to the Japanese voice and has a better script, but I just love Sabrina Gredvich's dorkier take. It's just so lovable!

Grandpa Hino - John Stocker (Cloverway). Another time an old dub voice surpassed Viz! Michael Sorich does great and all, but John Stocker is a perfect match to the Japanese voice and even looks a lot like the character in real life! It was a casting match made in Heaven.

Rubeus - Robert Tinkler (DiC). For a third time, the old dub surpasses the new dub. Steve Staley worked better for Rubeus in Crystal, whereas Robert Tinkler did a far better job embodying the far more monstrous version in the 90s anime, with a deep voice prone to bouts of unhinged laughter. He really made Rubeus a character that you loved to despise.

Esmeraude - Kirsten Bishop (DiC). This was Bishop's best role, IMO. She had already displayed a great cackling laugh as Zoisite, so her then playing Esmeraude was perfect.

Saphir - Lyon Smith (DiC). Not much to say here. He did good.

Demande - Robert Bockstael (DiC). Sexy but creepy voice is fittingly sexy but creepy.

Wiseman - Tony Daniels (DiC). Tony did as good a job as Wiseman as he did with Jadeite, which is why it's so frustrating that he kept getting hampered by needless vocal effects.

Professor Tomoe - Jeff Lumby (Cloverway). Jeff Lumby did an excellent job being hammy, sinister, intelligent and hilarious sounding. He was clearly having a total blast in this role.

Diana - Loretta Jafelice (Cloverway). Her high, squeaky voice was annoying, but perfect.

Fisheye - Deborah Drakeford (Cloverway). What is fascinating about Deborah's performance is that even as the fact was being censored for TV, she still voiced the character like a trans woman. There are several occasions where you can hear a masculine quality seep through even though it's a female voice actress. She deserves mad props for that.

Hawk's Eye - Benji Plener (Cloverway). He sounds a lot like Michael Yurchak, just slightly more posh, and something about his pink hair and outfit makes a posh tone fit him well.

Pegasus - Rowan Tichenor (Cloverway). Now hear me out on this last one - I am saying he was good as Pegasus. A soft, deep and dignified voice makes sense for him, and makes him more mysterious. The mistake came when they didn't cast someone else to voice Helios, as that voice coming out of him is more jarring than Nicolas Roye's voice coming out of Shingo!

Honorable Mention: The Amazoness Quartet. Their old dub voices were fine, but I can't say they qualify for this list since their Viz dub voices outperform them to an extreme degree.

[whilereadingandwalking]

The debut novel from acclaimed short story author Kelly Link, The Book of Love, is an enjoyable slow burn of a fantasy novel (even if it could have burned a little faster). Three teens—Daniel, Laura, and Mo—wake up after being dead for a year. The man they thought was a music teacher and his demonic partner Bogomil tell them that no one will remember they were dead...But the three will have to figure out how to do magic and find a magical key if they want to stay not-dead long enough to reintegrate themselves into their own lives. Only thing is, Laura's sister, Susannah, has something to do with why they're dead, but now she can't remember. Only thing is, a deadly goddess is arriving in town—and she wants to get to the key first.

The book was beautiful and rich, tactile and surreal. The town of Loveside feels real to me, like I could walk there and out to the Cliffs and see Mo's house where his grandmother wrote all those romance novels, like I could walk in her rose garden. The characters feel like real, well-developed people, from rebellious, self-destructive sister Susannah to the owner of the local coffee shop. The magic in the book is made of near-limitless potential, and their discovery of their abilities and the ethereal, web-like nature of the storytelling reminded me of Erin Morgenstern's work. I was deeply invested in finding out how the three died, who was trying to get the key before they did, and who was secretly unreal, because all of the characters felt so deeply realized.

But I do have critiques. As you all know, I strongly believe that few books need to be more than 400 pages. This book, which rings in at 625, was no exception. The beginning was very, very drawn out, and while the character and atmosphere kept me dialed in, I was being to get impatient. And I love long, atmospheric fantasies, so I'm more patient than many readers are. I genuinely believe the first half or so of this book could be cut in half and concentrated down. This pacing leaves room for a lot of eerie moments and strange happenings, but also makes the final climax feel rushed (even though it's actually quite well-placed) and starts to take some of the sting out of big twists.

This is The Book of Love, and there is a lot of love in it—and a lot of queer, kinky love, which I did appreciate. Mo and mysterious immortal Thomas were a hot couple, even if they suffered a bit from instalove. I really liked Daniel and Susannah, but I think the amount of time given to the two young troubled teen lovers and the time given to Susannah's tumultuous and difficult relationship with her more orderly sister Laura should have been switched. But then, I love a good sister story.

Overall, I really enjoyed Link's work, which had the same ethereal, satisfyingly magical feeling as her short stories do; but it could have been a lot shorter, not just for the reader but for the sake of a tightened narrative. Those with the patience will enjoy this slow-burn fantasy with a ton of atmosphere and a heart-warming emotional core.

Content warnings for homophobia and homophobic language, child abuse, grief/death, depression, body horror, miscarriage mention.

[permanentreverie]

books read in 2023

1) get a life, chloe brown -> talia hibbert: jan 1 - 3

2) the night circus -> erin morgenstern (reread): jan 9 - 11

3) lost in the never woods -> aiden thomas: jan 6 - 15

4) on earth we're briefly gorgeous -> ocean vuong: jan 12 - 15

5) clap when you land -> elizabeth acevedo: jan 17 - 18

6) comfort me with apples -> catherynne m. valente: jan 18

7) not here to be liked -> michelle quach: jan 19 - 23

8) night sky with exit wounds -> ocean vuong (reread): jan 25

9) time is a mother -> ocean vuong: jan 27

10) anatomy: a love story -> dana schwartz: jan 28 - 30

11) babel, or the necessity of violence: an arcane history of the oxford translaters' revolution -> r.f. kuang: jan 24 - feb 2

12) next of kin -> hannah bonam-young: feb 3 - 4

13) tokyo ever after -> emiko jean: feb 5 - 6

14) once upon a broken heart -> stephanie garber (reread): feb 2 - 6

15) the ballad of never after -> stephanie garber: feb 7

16) tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow -> gabrielle zevin: feb 7 - 11

17) tokyo dreaming -> emiko jean: feb 11 - 13

18) the cruel prince -> holly black (reread): feb 15 - 16

19) the no-show -> beth o'leary: feb 17 - 20

20) time is a mother -> ocean vuong (reread): feb 20

21) sweet bean paste -> durian sukegawa: feb 22

22) before the coffee gets cold -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 24

23) the wicked king -> holly black (reread): feb 23 - 24

24) the queen of nothing -> holly black (reread): feb 25 - 26

25) tales from the café -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 26 - 27

26) daisy jones & the six -> taylor jenkins reid (reread): feb 28 - mar 2

27) before your memory fades -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 27 - mar 4

28) ninth house -> leigh bardugo: mar 3 - 6

29) hell bent -> leigh bardugo: mar 7 - 9

30) a good girl's guide to murder -> holly jackson: mar 10 - 11

31) portrait of a thief -> grace d. li: mar 12 - 15

32) good girl, bad blood -> holly jackson: mar 15 - 18

33) the last children of tokyo -> yōko tawada: mar 19

34) tiny pretty things -> sona charaipotra & dhonielle clayton: mar 20 - 21

35) the youthful you who was so beautiful -> jiu yue xi (reread): mar 22

36) shiny broken pieces -> sona charaipotra & dhonielle clayton: mar 23 - 24

37) the scarlet pimpernel -> emmuska orczy: mar 25

38) as good as dead -> holly jackson: mar 26 - 28

39) addicted to you -> krista ritchie & becca ritchie: mar 29 - 30

40) one of us is lying -> karen m. mcmanus: mar 30 - 31

41) kill joy -> holly jackson: apr 2

42) carrie soto is back -> taylor jenkins reid: apr 1 - 3

43) human acts -> han kang: apr 4 - 6

44) tender is the flesh -> agustina bazterrica: apr 6

45) this time it's real -> ann liang: apr 6 - 10

46) idol, burning -> rin usami: apr 11

47) i'll give you the sun -> jandy nelson: apr 12 - 14

48) the boundless -> kenneth oppel: apr 14 - 17

49) the great gatsby -> f. scott fitzgerald (reread): apr 17

50) beautiful little fools -> jillian cantor: apr 18 - 19

51) schoolgirl -> osamu dazai: apr 20

52) the witch haven -> sasha peyton smith: apr 22 - 23

53) the witch hunt -> sasha peyton smith: apr 24 - 27

54) a little life -> hanya yanagihara: apr 28 - 30

55) beach read -> emily henry (reread): may 1 - 2

56) no longer human -> osamu dazai: may 2 - 3

57) my dark vanessa -> kate elizabeth russell: may 3 - 4

58) the setting sun -> osamu dazai: may 5 - 6

59) the bridge kingdom -> danielle l. jensen: may 5 - 8

60) king of pride -> ana huang: may 8 - 10

61) happy place -> emily henry: may 11

62) the vegetarian -> han kang: may 10 - 12

63) the red palace -> june hur: may 14 - 17

64) the traitor queen -> danielle l. jensen: may 13 - 22

65) the sky is everywhere -> jandy nelson: may 22 - 23

66) beartown -> fredrik backman: may 24 - 25

67) deathless -> catherynne m. valente: may 26 - 28

68) notes on an execution -> danya kukafka: may 29 - 30

69) once upon a k-prom -> kat cho: may 24 - 30

70) almond -> sohn won-pyung: may 30

71) the white book -> han kang: may 31

72) my mechanical romance -> alexene farol follmuth: may 31

73) a room with a view -> e.m forster: jun 4

74) the poppy war -> r.f kuang: jun 5 - 6

75) the dragon republic -> r.f kuang: jun 7 - 10

76) the drowning faith -> r.f kuang: jun 11

77) the burning god -> r.f kuang: jun 11 - 15

78) emma -> jane austen: may 30 - jun 16

79) greek lessons -> han kang: jun 16 - 18

80) when marnie was there -> joan g. robinson: jun 18 - 20

81) bandstand -> richard oberacker: jun 21

82) white nights -> fyodor dostoevsky: jun 21

83) twisted love -> ana huang: jun 20 - 22

84) twisted games -> ana huang: jun 27 - 28

85) the bloody chamber -> angela carter: jun 28 - 29

86) my deepest secret -> hanza art: jun 22 - 30

87) coraline -> neil gaiman: jun 30

88) twisted hate -> ana huang: jul 1 - 3

89) sadie -> courtney summers: jul 4 - 5

90) twisted lies -> ana huang: jul 5 - 6

91) take a hint, dani brown -> talia hibbert: jul 6 - 7

92) better than the movies -> lynn painter: jul 16 - 17

93) act your age, eve brown -> talia hibbert: jul 18 - 20

94) beyond the story: 10 - year record of bts -> kang myeong-seok & bts: jul 17 - 20

95) love and other words -> christina lauren: jul 19 - 22

96) diary of a void -> emi yagi: jul 23

97) in five years -> rebecca serle: jul 24

98) us against you -> fredrik backman: jul 24 - 25

99) sirena -> donna jo napoli: jul 26

100) small things like these -> claire keegan: jul 26 - 28

101) exit, pursued by bear -> e.k. johnston: jul 28

102) red, white, & royal blue -> casey mcquiston (reread): jul 29 - 31

103) conveniance store woman -> sayaka murata: jul 31

104) the hurting kind -> ada limon: aug 2

105) one true loves -> taylor jenkins reid: aug 2 - 3

106) the deep -> rivers solomon: aug 6 - 7

107) all the lovers in the night -> mieko kawakami: aug 9

108) caraval -> stephanie garber: aug 6 - 10

109) we hunt the flame -> hafsah faizal: aug 16 - 18

110) we free the stars -> hafsah faizal: aug 18 - 19

111) i'm glad my mom died -> jennette mccurdy: aug 20

112) the ballad of songbirds and snakes -> suzanne collins: aug 21 - 22

113) kim jiyoung, born 1982 -> cho nam-joo: aug 22

114) legendary -> stephanie garber: aug 11 - 24

115) king of wrath -> ana huang: aug 23 - 24

116) the sisterhood of the traveling pants -> ann brashares: aug 27

117) out on a limb -> hannah bonam-young: aug 29 - 31

118) the winners -> fredrick backman: aug 1 - 31

119) the second summer of sisterhood -> ann brashares: aug 28 - 31

120) girls in pants: the third summer of the sisterhood -> ann brashares: sep 4 - 5

121) forever in blue: the fourth summer of the sisterhood -> ann brashares: sep 5

122) strange the dreamer -> laini taylor: sep 3 - 9

123) crying in h mart -> michelle zauner: sep 9 - 10

124) sisterhood everlasting -> ann brashares: sep 7 - 11

125) finale -> stephanie garber: sep 13 - 14

126) little thieves -> margaret owen: sep 11 - 16

127) les misérables -> victor hugo (reread): apr 3 - sep 18

128) business or pleasure -> rachel lynn solomon: sep 17 - 19

129) out there -> kate folk: sep 23 - 24

130) wuthering heights -> emily brontë: sep 18 - 24

131) painted devils -> margaret owen: sep 20 - 27

132) the foxhole court -> nora sakavic: sep 24 - 27

133) the raven king -> nora sakavic: sep 27 - 29

134) the hate u give -> angie thomas: sep 29 - oct 2

135) the king’s men -> nora sakavic: sep 30 - oct 3

136) the dead romantics -> ashley poston: oct 4 - 5

137) a discovery of witches -> deborah harkness: oct 6 - 12

138) mexican gothic -> silvia moreno-garcia: oct 13 - 14

139) the haunting of hill house -> shirley jackson: oct 15 - 18

140) the girl from the other side (vol. 1 - 11) -> nagabe: oct 19

151) fourth wing -> rebecca yarros: oct 22 - 26

152) king of greed -> ana huang: oct 26 - 29

153) yellowface -> r.f. kuang: oct 30 - 31

154) a curse for true love -> stephanie garber: nov 1 - 3

155) a study in charlotte -> brittany cavallaro: nov 5 - 7

156) dracula -> bram stoker: may 5 - nov 8

157) the joy luck club -> amy tan: sep 9 - nov 9

158) the murder of roger ackroyd -> agatha christie: nov 9 - 10

159) the last of august -> brittany cavallaro: nov 10 - 12

160) kamila knows best -> farah heron: nov 12 - 13

161) the case for jamie -> brittany cavallaro: nov 14 - 15

162) a question for holmes -> brittany cavallaro: nov 16 - 17

163) howl’s moving castle -> diana wynne jones (reread): nov 17 - 18

164) if we were villains -> m. l. rio (reread): nov 18 - 19

165) masters of death -> olivie blake: nov 20 - 22

166) jane eyre -> charlotte brontë (reread): nov 22 - 29

167) the name drop -> susan lee: dec 2 - 3

168) divine rivals -> rebecca ross: dec 6 - 7

169) the lightning thief -> rick riordan (reread): dec 9 - 11

170) the sea of monsters -> rick riordan (reread): dec 12 - 13

171) the titan’s curse -> rick riordan (reread): dec 14

172) the battle of the labyrinth -> rick riordan (reread): dec 16 - 18

173) the last olympian -> rick riordan (reread): dec 18 - 19

174) a study in drowning -> ava reid: dec 23 - 29

175) little women -> louisa may alcott (reread): dec 21 - 29

176) shadow of night -> deborah harkness: nov 1 - dec 30

177) the upside of falling -> alex light: dec 30

178) slade house -> david mitchell: dec 31

179) much ado about nothing -> william shakespeare: dec 31

180) romeo and juliet -> william shakespeare (reread): dec 31

[charliemonroe]

Téléfilm français de Francis Renaud (1999).

David Saracino : Tonio. Gaëla Le Devehat : Marie. Maïa Morgenstern : Nonna. Dominique Bettenfeld : Daniel. Julia Vaidis-Bogard : Céline. Samuel Jouy : Jeff. Younesse Boudache : Chico.

[danielmorgenstern]

Silvio Berlusconi, 1936-2023, portrait illustration by Daniel Morgenstern, 12.6.23

https://www.danielmorgenstern.com

[barbarabymarta]

Barbara Kwiatkowska-Lass, Daniel Olbrychski & Janusz Morgenstern on the set of "Jowita" dir. by Janusz Morgenstern

[zalrb]

hi zal! i hope you’re doing well!! :) i’ve been slowly trying to get myself back into reading (for fun) again and i’ve gotten to the point where i need something i can sink my teeth into. do you have any recs for books that altered your brain chemistry (could be at any point in your life because i am also revisiting childhood favorites)? like i need a literary realignment if you will lol

Oh cool!

The Island of Forgetting by Jasmine Sealy, Zami: An Autobiography of My Name by Audre Lorde, Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline, The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, Shut Up, You're Pretty by Tea Mutonji, And The Walls Came Down by Denise DaCosta, Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkein, Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, Fledgling by Octavia Butler, Bloodchild by Octavia Butler, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Alison, Corregidora by Gayl Jones, Born to Slow Horses by Kamau Brathwaite, Omeros by Derek Walcott, Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, Tainna by Norma Dunning, Annie Mukuk by Norma Dunning, A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett, The Naming series by Allison Croggon

[rayne-the-neutrois-nerd]

heeyyyy

about those booktubers you mentioned that talk of a wide range of book types 👀 could you rec me some pretty please?

Yeah ofc!! I mean I should warn you is that they do mostly read fantasy, but they do have other favorites and genres they like, but fantasy is their favorite (...because fantasy is my favorite so ofc I follow the ones with similar tastes)

Daniel Greene- Talks about the scifi fantasy world as a whole, has a segment of videos called Fantasy News covering new fantasy stuff for all mediums, not just books. HUGE fan of The Wheel Of Time and tbh where I got a crap ton of my recs for fantasy series. He has tons of like, ranking videos and stuff just talking about the fantasy genre from newest to oldest to trad to indie and it's great. Also his bookshelf roasts are great.

A Clockwork Reader- One of the first I watched, is a big fan of like, soft fantasy? She used to say magical realism but then she and i learned that that is a latin american term and I forgot what the alternative for the name is for it, and google isn't helping. Her favorite book is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern so, books like that, with that vibe. Should note is that for fantasy she does lean more towards ya but there is a good amount of adult in there. She loves classics and poetry as well and reads a good decent amount of nonfiction, especially if it's about intersectionality and feminism. I also like her voice, it's pretty soothing.

Unresolved Textual Tension- Technically a podcast, but they have youtube videos. I love these guys, they're so funny. I found them when they were tearing apart Lightlark and then other infamous books. But they do have plently of books they adore they talk about. AND THEIR OPINIONS ON STUFF DIFFER SOMETIMES!!! I love hearing them debate when one likes an element and the other doesn't. And even if the book is bad, they do still give compliments if they think something deserves it! And the opposite is the same too, if they don't like something in a book they love, they'll bring it up. They're really fair with their reviews. They inspiried me to pick up Temeraire and so far I'm liking it!

Holly Hearts Books- Okay to be fair I haven't checked in on her in a tad but from when I binged her stuff I loved how enthusiastic she is about fantasy. And she's not shy to admit if a book is technically bad even if she enjoyed it (because people can like bad things! Poorly written stuff can sometimes be fun and thats okay!). Or if it's a really well written book but just isn't her thing. She's another that also really loves to make sure she adds indie books into her collection instead of just trad stuff. (Or at least she was when I last watched. It's been a handful of months but eh)

Merphy Napier- Kind of like Daniel, but more focused on books. Occasionally she talks about other media but not super often. But she's also not fantasy-specfic and actually talks about a wide range of age ranges since she has kids and she sometimes talks about some good middle grade! It's just refreshing. Totally got me wanting to read Lies of Lock Lamura (Ugh fuck is that what it is??? Fuck...)

Elliot Brooks- Similar to Merphy but more just Adult Fantasy but does talk about some indie published stuff too. Haven't watched her in a tad but I do remember liking her takes.

Reads With Rachel- Okay we're getting into the handful of people who are more reviewers and are harsher?? with critques?? Rachel does have a ton of books that she's shared that she loves but she does offer good insight into bad books about WHY. And sometimes she reads bad books just to point out why they're harmful in a funny but respectful manner. Also if you wanna keep up to date with some shitty authors and who to stay away from and why, then her videos called Authors Behaving Badly are pretty good. She offers some good insight about a lot of things. Also VERY LOUDLY anti-book banning and censorship, to where she put some video evidence of her going to her like, town meetings about them and speaking out about it.

Crow Caller- Absolute ruthless longform videos about Why X Book Is Bad, but I feel they approach it more from "This is a learning experience, we can see what not to do by examining a work that doesn't get it right". Also funny. Mostly reviews like, christian-ish inspired book series because I think they're ex-catholic? Or thats just a topic she likes to dive into I dunno.

Tale Foundry- Okay this one is odd because it's more of a writing channel but they often use specific stories to showcase a trope, or technique, or magic system, etc etc. So I guess you can kinda use that as a reccommendation? I kinda do.

[piece-of-the-pie-if]

woah... can we have some information on all the ROs parents/families? if i read that right it means J and Kinsley are cousins?????

sure! +yes, Kinsley and J are cousins, but only technically!

Dylan Quinn──

Reece Quinn, Dylan's father. 37 years old. He's an art restorationist painter! Reece and Dylan share a love of art, and Reece is very supportive that Dyl wants to take their art all the way. He's a bit clumsy in his concerns about Dylan's education that it gets them in a few arguments but Dylan knows that at the end of the day their father just wants the best for them!

Laurel Benson, previously Quinn, born Carter, Dylan's mother. 43 years old. She lives in Austria now. They haven't spoken in almost five years. She's an art museum curator. She might have a newborn but that's just speculation on Dylan's part.

Shayne Walker──

Andrew Walker, Shay's father. 48 years old. Recently promoted to a high ranking manager in a heavy duty vehicle manufacturing business─he looks over the presentations of new models and keeps track of their quality. He used to fly all over the world to make sure their machines were working properly in overseas countries but now has a more permanent spot. Shay gets his humour from his father and they have a very good relationship.

Deirdre Walker, Shay's mother. 47 years old. DeDe has a chronic illness that makes it hard for her to move for extended periods of time and as such has stopped working to take over full time at home. Shay and his mother bond over their love of food. She is very kind and full of heart to hearts──DeDe gives the best hugs in the world!

Danielle Walker, soon to be Peterson, Shay's older sister. 23 years old. Her fiance is Ryan Peterson (24). Owns her own flower shop! Danielle and Shay get along quite well, but they're not exactly talk every day close.

Ingrid Walker, Shay's younger sister. 8 years old. She likes to pla pranks on and with Shay, and is becoming quite the jokester like her brother!.

Kinsley Grace-Cameron──

Emilia Grace, Kinsley's mother. Emilia is Kinsley's birth mother, from her egg─she carried Kinsley to full term pregnancy (Kinsley was almost a week late.) She died two years ago, aged 36. She was a criminal defence lawyer. Kinsley and Emilia were extremely close.

Lavender Cameron, Kinsley's mother. 39 years old. Works as a corporate business lawyer, is currently the sole owner of Grace and Cameron, the law firm. Never got on the best with Kinsley and their relationship has only gotten colder since her wife's death. Lavender has very high expectations for her daughter, but deep down she just wants Kinsley to do her best and be happy.

Jared Montgomery, Kinsley's father. 32 years old. Works as an auditor for New York's state government. Doesn't take part in Kinsley's life as a father, but he does have a... amicable relationship with her.

The Grace Aunts/Cousins. Emilia's sisters, Elizabeth (40), Emberly (38) and Elise (28). Elizabeth's son Karden (21) and Emberley's twins Georgina and Gabriella (19).

The Cameron Aunts/Uncles/Cousins. Lavender's brothers, Malachite (46) and Flint (38) and sister Lilac (27). Malachite's sons Sterling (24) and Roland (23), Flint's daughter Jade (21) and Lilac's son Oliver (4).

bar Oliver, Kinsley is the youngest of the cousins and is now under the most scrutiny from her family to live up to their legacy. Kinsley doesn'y get along with most of her extended family, but used to be closer to her cousins Georgina and Gabriella before her mother died.

Jaxon/Jasmin Montomery──

Archibald Montgomery, J's father. 53 years old. CEO of a business company... something to do with stocks... oil or gold or something. Declared J disowned a few months ago.

Hannah Montgomery, previously Morgenstern, born Hastings, J's mother. 51 years old. Current Mayor for New York. Trying very hard to keep contact with J... trying very hard to keep control of J.

Arabella Montgomery, J's little sister. Newly turned 11 years old. Loves J so very much, it's caused tension between Bella and her parents... who are on the verge of a divorce!

Jared Montgomery, J's paternal uncle. 32 years old. Works for Hannah in their municipal government, he is an auditor.

Peter Hastings, J's maternal uncle. 44 years old. Working as an engineer for a train line company. Very protective of J and Arabella, currently letting J stay in his apartment.

Theodore/Theodora/Theo Wesley──

Miles Wesley, Theo's father. 42 years old. Neurosurgeon.

Paulina Wesley, born Prescott, Theo's mother. 43 years old. Pediatric Surgeon.

both of Theo's parents are very loving but they're also very busy... Theo tends to stay out of their way when they're at home because they don't want to bother their parents when they're so tired/supposed to be resting.

[ndm1717]

books ravenclaws would read

"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari - A thought-provoking exploration of the history of Homo sapiens and how we came to dominate the planet.

"The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss - This fantasy novel follows a gifted young man as he navigates the challenges of magic, music, and mystery at a prestigious university.

"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman - An exploration of the two systems that drive the way we think, offering insights into decision-making and human behavior.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams - A humorous and clever science fiction series that explores the absurdities of the universe and the nature of existence.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde - A philosophical novel that examines the pursuit of beauty, art, and the consequences of unchecked hedonism.

"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt - This atmospheric novel follows a group of intellectually elite college students whose lives become intertwined in a tale of murder and moral ambiguity.

"Einstein: His Life and Universe" by Walter Isaacson - A comprehensive biography of one of history's greatest minds, exploring Albert Einstein's scientific achievements and personal life.

"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern - A magical and enchanting story set within a mysterious circus that only appears at night, showcasing feats of wonder and imagination.

"The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - A captivating tale of mystery and intrigue set in post-war Barcelona, revolving around a young boy who discovers a hidden library of forgotten books.

"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu - An ancient Chinese treatise on military strategy that offers valuable insights into leadership, tactics, and the nature of conflict.

[rockislandadultreads]

Read-Alike Recommendations: The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk

Join us this Thursday, January 12th, at 5pm for our inaugural 150th Book Club meeting where we will be discussing The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk!

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals from its war wounds, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julian Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax's books in existence. Soon Daniel's seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona's darkest secrets - an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

This is the first volume in “The Cemetery of Forgotten Books” series. 

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues - a bee, a key, and a sword - that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. 

What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians - it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose - in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.

Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.

As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

What is the purpose of a map?

Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map.

But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable and exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence... because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one - along with anyone who gets in the way.

But why? To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret and discovers the true power that lies in maps...